Chapter 1.1—

  Jules

  —Silence.The kind you feel waking alone in bed to the sound of rain. Darkness.Like slipping into a black satin dress—cool, close, and breathless. The soft fabric brushes your face as it slides down. And only once you’re through, do you realize you’ve been holding your breath.

  And a ringing

  *Bzzt bzzt*

  "Critical anomaly. Evasive action recommended." The voice crackled, distant and metallic—like a broken radio trying to reach through fog.Then, a sudden snap.Like a thread stretched to its breaking point.The world recoiled, flinging Jules back into the brutal now.

  “Hey, Kid! You gotta get up!” The voice sliced through the ringing, sharp as a glittering knife in pale moonlight.

  Dust kissed his temple. Sticky. Warm.The sharp tang of dried blood, like old pennies on the tongue.

  But he didn’t move. Couldn’t.His skeleton might’ve been swapped for pain itself.

  He could taste smoke. Hot. Acrid.Flames roared in his ears. Heat leaned toward his face—like a warm breath, far too close.

  "That thing's headed this way!" He felt himself being shaken—the world tilting hard beneath him.

  “What the hell happened…?” Jules groaned, blinking the sting from his eyes.He rolled sideways, swatting instinctively at fire crawling up his laces.

  “No time for that,” the voice came again—gruff and grounded. A trench-coated stranger hauled Jules to his feet by the shoulder.

  "Kid, you were inside when that thing went through!" the gruff man exhaled, a sharp nod toward the gaping hole in the building’s brick wall.

  “HELP ME!”

  A girl’s voice—a sharp scream.She wore a red school uniform. She burst out running from another building, torn open wide, like an unforgiving smile.

  “Mantle identified. Beginning extraction.”

  A cold, digital voice thrummed from the shadows.

  From within the blackened structure, three blue spheres ignited—pulsing violently. And something inside began to move.A massive robotic arm lunged from the dark crevice, reaching for the girl.“Too late,” the gruff man muttered, a sharp, low sound. “Not again…”Jules braced one hand on the scorched wall, breath ragged, but managed to stay upright.. “What—THE HELL—is that!?” His voice shook, a tremor of fear layered over the rush of adrenaline.The colossal hand burst from the mangled building, attached to an equally immense mechanical suit. It resembled a deep-sea diver from the fifties, but towering over ten feet tall, encased in glowing cybernetic armor. The grinding of the metal behemoth's joints echoed off the shattered buildings. Three large, luminous lenses stared out from its face shield

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The metal nightmare’s hand was inches from the young girl. One moment, metallic fingers were a hair's breadth away—the next, she shimmered like heat rising violently from asphalt and vanished in a sudden swirl of dark smoke.“Help me! Elira!” the girl’s voice cried out, her fleeting form now sprinting in the opposite direction of the lumbering machine.“I dunno, Kid, but if you can run, you should get out of here. No telling what that freak will do. I gotta go after the girl,” the broad-shouldered man said, already turning away.“Wait! You can’t go in there alone!” Jules yelled, the words a reflex.The man paused. “Don’t think this little pea shooter of mine is gonna cut it, Kid. And I didn’t see you strapped at all. What do you think you’re gonna do?”“Jules. It’s Jules,” he said, a sudden defiance hardening his tone. “I don’t know, but that’s even more reason for me to go.”He didn't understand the impulse, but the raw terror in that girl's eyes had ignited something within him—a visceral refusal to stand by. To sit back and let the menace that had torn apart his neighborhood, terrorized his neighbors, nearly killed him... No. Not if no one else was coming.“Fine. Suit yourself…Kid.” The man jogged toward the thundering footsteps pursuing the girl.

  *Bzzt bzzt*

  “Evasive action recommended,” the static-laced voice echoed.“Huh?” Jules murmured..“His advice. I recommend you take it. You aren’t fit for battle in this condition,” the radio voice replied.Jules fumbled for his phone, pulling it from his pocket.“Nothing but static,” he mumbled, staring at the snowy fractal noise on the screen.

  *Bzzt bzzt*

  It vibrated in his hand again. “But if you’ve committed to trying, I’ll be here to support you.”Jules stared at the phone, a sense of unreality washing over him. “Where are you? Who are you!?” he shouted, surprised by his own vehemence.

  *Bzzt bzzt*

  “Gestalt, at your service—and right here. You’re looking at me,” the static-filled voice said, calm, distant, yet strangely warm.“My... phone? You’re my phone?” Jules blinked, utterly bewildered.“Not quite. But close! My core resides within your phone's systems. Data acquisition is still in progress...” the voice said, almost with a hint of amusement.“I don’t get this.” Jules shook his head, prodding the wound on his temple to confirm he really felt it.

  *Bzzt bzzt*

  “How would you like to handle the situation?” the voice asked, still wrapped in static.“What does that mean?” Jules asked incredulously. “And can you stop with the buzzing?”Gestalt: Certainly. Notifications were active from when you were unconscious. It required several attempts to establish contact. What tactical options do you suggest?The voice was calmer now, the static receding slightly with each word.“Tactical? Like fighting? I can’t fight. Not that thing,” Jules said, his voice laced with disbelief.Gestalt: “Indeed. Your lack of combat experience is noted. Should we proceed with vacating the area?”“I—can’t. I can’t just let them go. I need a weapon. A gun. A stick. Anything I could use to hit him” he added, punching his palm for emphasis.Gestalt: “Affirmative. Attack now functional. Now executing: hit him,” Gestalt said mimicking Jules’s emphasis.Jules looked down at his hand—the screen of his phone now blazing a bright blue.He stared at his palm, an instinctive pull drawing his attention to the energy thrumming beneath his skin. An immense pressure built, radiating outward...—and then suddenly—WOOSH.The air split wide...All the compressed force erupted at once. The air cracked. The already weakened building tore apart like paper, the shockwave flinging dust and debris in a wide, violent arc. He staggered backward, shielding his eyes. Dust spiraled upward. The building groaned and stilled. "Did I do that?" Jules stared at the glowing screen, waiting for confirmation.Gestalt: “Affirmative. Does that meet your 'hit it' requirement? Would you like to further refine this ability? We can customize your ability with whatever knowledge you have available.”He didn't understand what had happened—only that something fundamental in the air itself had fractured and released. The ground groaned. The dust momentarily vanishedAnd in the sudden silence... everything felt irrevocably changed.“Whatever that means… Questions for later—can we use this on that guy? The robot?” Jules asked, a touch of impishness in his tone.Gestalt: “Yes. This should be quite effective at maintaining distance—and holding your ground.”Jules flinched as another scream ripped through the air.“Time to find out just what the hell is going on,” he muttered, cracking his neck with a newfound resolve.Gestalt: “Affirmative. I’ll be ready to assist, if the need arises.” the warm—albeit clinical tone concluded. The screen went dark.